Vern Schillinger

played by J.K. Simmons

Character Bio

Season 6

It'a payback time for Vern when he's finally released from Solitary. He continues to treat Robson as an outcast since Robson's banishment from the brotherhood. What's worse, Winthrop has now become Vern's new disciple. Vern gives Winthrop the go-ahead to kill Beecher's father, which Vern feels he owes Beecher for ratting on him. Later, Vern signs up for Hamlet and gets the lead role. When his scene with Beecher comes up, he continues his role playing. Although Vern's prepared for the death scene, he's shocked when he realizes Beecher has used a real knife to stab him. Vern falls to the floor and dies.

Season 5

The bus accident claimed the life of Carrie Schillinger but not that of Schillinger's granddaughter Jewel. However, hope of him ever seeing the baby again diminished when Carrie's family adopts her. When it's leaked that Robson's bad gums were replaced with those of a black person, Schillinger has Robson outcast from the Brotherhood. He also began attending interaction sessions with Beecher and Said. At first Schillinger would become defensive and evasive when the discussion would turn to him. Soon, Schillinger admits to brutalizing Beecher and asks his forgiveness. When new inmate Winthrop arrives, Schillinger returns to his old ways by immediately raping him. Schillinger then sets his sights on Winthrop's buddy Guenzel and agrees to let Beecher deliver mail to see Keller only if Beecher agrees to turn Guenzel over to Schillinger. Beecher does and Guenzel is transferred to gen pop where he's immediately brutalized by Schillinger. During one of their interaction sessions, Sister Pete attempts to get information from Schillinger, Beecher and Said about what Guenzel. When none of them responds, she angrily promises to get to the truth and this worries Schillinger. He immediately goes and pretends to help Guenzel escape only Guenzel gets electrocuted in the process. After this Beecher confesses to Sister Pete, Schillinger's reign of violence, coercion and terror on himself and Guenzel. This confession prompts a trial and Glynn has Schillinger tossed into solitary indefinitely.

Season 4 Part 2

Family ties bind Schillinger in some twisted ways. As the season unfolds, Schillinger discovers that Hank's girlfriend is pregnant. Vern's happy at the prospect of a grandchild and soon turns to Rev. Cloutier for spiritual guidance and, he begins attending victim/offender interaction sessions with Beecher and Sister Pete. But things turn for the worse when another inmate warns him that the kid may not be Hank's. Furious Schillinger submits to blood testing to confirm the parentage. Next, he finds out that Hank's dead and he flies into a rage taking his anger out on Beecher. His daughter-in-law goes into labor while visiting Vern. As a final torment, Vern learns from Robson that Beecher's up for parole. Once he discovers that Beecher's parole's been denied, he taunts him in the library only, Said appears and stabs Schillinger.

Season 4 Part 1

Vern's happy when is son Hank appears, but he soon discovers it was Beecher who made the arrangements so now, Vern devises a plan to beat Beecher at his own game. Vern has Hank to kidnap Beecher's kids, and soon a mystery package containing a child's hand arrives for Beecher. Vern claims to know nothing about this when an investigator interrogates him. To make it worse, Vern orders to Hank kill Beecher's son. Father Mukada comes to Vern to plead with him to spare Beecher's daughter's life. Although Vern continues to claim indifference to the situation, he ends up making a secret phone call to Hank ordering him to release the girl to Beecher's parents. Meanwhile, to further upset Beecher, Vern has Rabitz tell Beecher that Keller's responsible for Beecher's son's death. When Beecher believes him, Vern's happy. However, what goes around always comes around as Beecher learns that Schillinger ordered Beecher's son murdered. Beecher pays Pancamo to have Hank whacked. When Vern doesn't hear from Hank, he assumes that Hank has gone to Florida, only the truth is more shocking than that.

Season 3

Just plain evil! While Vern continues haunting and harassing Cyril, he also becomes the victim of an attack, but ends up okay. Vern gets a family visit when his heroin addicted son Andy ends up in Oz after being convicted for killing a black man. Vern despises his son for being an addict, but what really drives him mad is that Andy and Beecher have become friends. After Beecher suggests to Vern that he and Andy could get even closer, Vern gets livid. Vern confronts Andy during lunch and they end up in a fight that gets Andy thrown in the hole. While there, Andy mysteriously dies of a drug overdose. Where did the drugs come from? Can't really be sure. But, good ol' Vern discloses to one of the Aryans that his son's addiction proved that he was weak and never fit to be one of them.

Season 2

Ol' Vern had lots to do last season. First, in an attempt to raise the Aryan Brotherhood's standing at OZ, he orders the killing of a Jewish inmate. After a tipster ratted on him and his cohorts to McManus, Schillinger gets a new guard (another Aryan) to make the tipster confess to the killing. But alas, Schillinger gets more years attached to his sentence after trying to bribe Wittlesey to kill Beecher. He tries to get Said to represent him on these conspiracy charges only to be rebuked by Said. Soon, Vern's dad tells him he's kicked Vern's sons out of his house, and Schillinger pleads to have them found. Schillinger conspires with Keller to manipulate Beecher into thinking that Keller's in his corner only to deliver a horrible beating to Beecher.

Season 1

Vern's an Aryan for life who uses intimidation to keep his powerful leadership in tact. Acting on new inmate Beecher's frailty, Vern convinces Beecher to move into his pod. Once done, Vern begins his reign of horrid intimidation over Beecher by forcing Beecher to submit to a host of horrible acts. Beecher, having turned to drugs to cope, lashes out at Vern by throwing a chair through the window of their pod. The glass cuts Vern's eye but infuritates him. Vern meets with Beecher in the gym for revenge only Beecher's ready again and severly beats Vern with free-weights and defecates on the passed out Vern's face. After these somewhat humbling events, Vern decides not to retaliate against Beecher because he has parole coming up soon. Beecher finds out about this and threatens to cause conflicts, fights or anything he can to get Vern extended time in Oz.

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